History of the Back-To-School Project

The Tom Fennessy Back-to-School Project was started in 1998, by Louisa Losego and Teresa Devitt. It was modeled after a project in Chicago that seemed easily transferable to Columbus. Mike Harden, a longtime columnist for The Columbus Dispatch, helped get the project started by writing an article about a homeless student living in a
shelter. The article described how the child would benefit from receiving a backpack filled with school supplies for the
first day of school. It also explained how the community could help by donating money and school supplies.
The project is named in honor of Mr. Harden’s close friend, and former columnist for The Columbus Dispatch, Tom Fennessy. “Fenn,” as he was known by his friends, was a champion of the underprivileged. He was in his forties when he died of cancer in 1982. Mike Harden continues to write two articles each year to help raise awareness for this much needed project. He has been a major force behind this project and has helped make it so successful. In 2002, with the financial and moral support of the West Columbus Civitan Club, Betty Kletrovets became the President of the Tom Fennessy Back-to-School Project.